UPDATE: Two troopers killed in helicopter crash near site of white nationalist rally

UPDATE (AP) --8:45 p.m. (Eastern Time) Virginia state police said one of their agency's helicopters crashed Saturday outside Charlottesville, killing two troopers. Police said the helicopter was assisting law enforcement officers in monitoring the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville. Police said Lt. H. Jay Cullen of Midlothian and Trooper-Pilot Burke M.M. Bates of Quinton were killed in the crash. The crash happened just a few hours after a car plowed into a crowd of people peacefully protesting against the white nationalist rally. One person was killed and at least two dozen were hurt. ------ 6:35 p.m. (Eastern Time) Officials say the deaths of two people in a helicopter crash near Charlottesville, Virginia, have been linked to a violent white nationalist rally earlier in the day.

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- Police say a helicopter has crashed near Charlottesville, Virginia, where violent clashes erupted at the site of a white nationalist rally. However, it was unclear if the crash may have been linked to the rally.

Virginia State Police said Saturday that the helicopter crashed in a wooded area near a home. No one on the ground was injured. Police said they are investigating the cause of the crash.